Shelf Life

Cibaria strives to offer the freshest quality products to our customers. To help you understand our minimum shelf-life structure, we would like to explain the factors involved in establishing the parameters for the various products we offer. Please keep in mind that the shelf-life is based upon proper storage and handling.

Balsamic Vinegar and Lambrusco Vinegar

Unflavored balsamic and Lambrusco vinegar have an almost unlimited shelf-life. Due to the requirement for having expiration dates for food products, our supplier guarantees upwards to 3 years from date of production. We take into consideration transit times, our inventory movement and processing times and can confidently offer a guarantee of 24 months from the time you purchase from Cibaria.

Flavored Balsamic Vinegar

Although we use the 25 Star which has a healthy shelf-life as a base, the flavorings we use do alter the expected life. Based upon the shelf-life offered by the flavoring manufacturers, Cibaria can offer a 12 month shelf-life.

Serrano Honey Vinegar

The supplier of this product gives a 24 month product life. Cibaria guarantees 12 months allowing for transit time, inventory movement and processing times.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Oliver oil has a 24 month shelf-life from the time it is produced and can go even beyond that if stored and handled properly. The lead time from crushing to the oils arriving to our facility can vary depending upon how long it takes for the producer to release it (in many instances, the producer lets the oil settle for several months), the transit time for it to arrive at our facility and the holding period for us to have the oil tested by a U.S. laboratory (see graph below). The testing we do is to ensure that the oil matches the Certificate of Analysis of the approved pre-shipment sample we receive from the producer. Even though we buy from trusted suppliers, there has been much controversy regarding the integrity of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for our peace of mind and our customers, we have it tested again in the United States upon receipt.

Flavored Extra Virgin Olive Oil

A lot number of Extra Virgin Olive Oil is selected to produce the Flavored EVOO that Is created in-house. That lot number is used throughout the season for that flavor until it is finished. At that time another lot number may be selected, typically from the same crop year depending on the time the selection is required. So it is possible that you would see the same lot with multiple months in between. It is similar to the Varietal EVOO’s, the same harvest is available and sold throughout the season. The flavorings we use do alter the expected life. Based upon the shelf-life offered by the flavoring manufacturers, Cibaria can offer a 12 month shelf-life.

Infused Olive Oil

We have the true infusion of the olive oil done for us at a fresh herb and spice infusion house. We ship loads of oil to the facility where the infusion takes place and the infusion can take up to 8 weeks processing. We then we have transit time to our facility, inventory movement and processing time. Based upon this, we offer a minimum shelf-life of 6 months.

Specialty Oils and Specialty Organic Oils

Traditionally, suppliers of these oils give a 12 month guarantee of shelf-life. Taking into consideration transit time, inventory movement and processing times, Cibaria offers a 6 month guarantee for these items.